August 4, 2009

Dear Senator Levin:

Our faith calls us to work for peace and to protect the poor and the innocent. As religious leaders in our communities, we are alarmed by the many well-documented reports detailing the huge numbers of civilian casualties that have resulted from the use of indiscriminate cluster munitions around the world.

These weapons scatter deadly explosives over wide areas of land, making it very difficult to avoid civilian casualties. Moreover, while designed to explode on impact, many of the submunitions initially fail to detonate, leaving behind large numbers of hazardous explosive “duds.” These duds are akin to landmines that injure and kill civilians and contaminate the land long after conflict has ended. The U.S. has used cluster bombs in civilian populated areas of three countries in the last 10 years, and the cluster bombs the U.S. dropped in Laos more than three decades ago are still killing civilians today.

All of our faith traditions call for us to act when we have opportunities to protect human life and dignity. Moral teachings and international humanitarian law insist that the use of force during wars be discriminate. The indiscriminate nature of this weapon violates these accepted principles.

The use of cluster bombs has already been condemned by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Secretary- General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Christian relief group World Vision.

More than half the world’s governments responded to this call by agreeing in late May to a global treaty banning use, export and procurement of cluster munitions. The treaty will officially open for signature in December. Among those agreeing to the ban were major U.S. allies, including the U.K., France, Germany, Australia and Japan. The U.S. was not among them. Instead, the Pentagon released a “new” cluster bomb policy in early July that allows continued use of these barbaric weapons through 2018.

We welcome this international movement and join with these world leaders in calling on the United States to take action to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians. As part of this effort, we, the undersigned members of Michigan’s faith community, urge you to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009 (S.416). Introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy, this legislation prohibits both the use of cluster munitions in or near civilian populated areas and the use, sale and transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of over one percent.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent matter.

Respectfully yours,

Chuck Warpehoski Director, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice Ann Arbor, MI

Rev. Daniel Appleyard Rev. Sandra Benes Marcia Bottomley St. Michael’s and All Angels St. Andrews Episcopal Rector, Christ Episcopal Episcopal Church Church Cambridge Junction, MI Waterford, MI Dearborn, MI

Rev. Susan Bock Rev. Thomas Brennan Sr. Joyce Armstrong Rector St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic St. John’s Episcopal Church Episcopal Church Howell, MI Eastpointe, MI Don Bromley

Executive Pastor Vineyard Kathleen Bachor Rev. John Boley Church of Ann Arbor St. Patrick’s Episcopal Pastor United Methodist Ann Arbor, MI Church Church Madison Heights, MI Mt. Pleasant, MI Muriel Burnett

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Michael E. Benes Rev. Chuck Booker-Hirsch Church, St. Michael’s and All Angels Pastor Northside Presbyterian Madison Heights, MI Episcopal Ann Arbor, MI Cambridge Junction, MI Rev. John A. Byers

Pastor Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish East Lansing, MI

Rev. Lori Carey Rev. Elizabeth Morris Rev. Irvin Green Pastor Trinity Lutheran Downie Pastor Memorial Christian Church, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church Ann Arbor, MI Church Ann Arbor, MI Grand Blanc, MI Rev. Barbara Cavin George Gunn Priest Church of the Holy Rev. Terrence Dumas Episcopal Diocese of Spirit Retired Priest of the Diocese Michigan Livonia, MI of Lansing Detroit, MI Lansing, MI Edward Davidson Father Tom Helfrich Temple Beth Emeth Rev. Patrick W. Egan Chaplin Siena Heights Ann Arbor, MI Chaplain Ann Arbor Catholic University Men’s Movement Adrian, MI Collin Davis St. Stephen’s Episcopal Father James Eisele Very Rev. Scott Hunter Church Priest St. Michael Parish Dean and Rector Cathedral Troy, MI Grand Ledge, MI Church of St. Paul Detroit, MI Rev. Walter Dawson Rev. Russell M. Fuller Rector St. George’s Pastor Emeritus Memorial Father Mark Inglot Episcopal Church Christian Church Pastor St. John’s Student Milford, MI Ann Arbor, MI Parish, Michigan State University Rev. Donald Dersnah Rev. Jo Ganzer East Lansing, MI Deacon St. John’s Episcopal Cannon Cathedral Church of Church St. Paul, Detroit, MI Rev. Deon Johnson Howell, MI Rector St. Paul’s Right Rev. Wendell Gibbs Brighton, MI Rabbi Rob Dobrusin Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Rabbi Beth Israel Michigan Congregation Detroit, MI Ann Arbor, MI Carolyn Keinath Father Richard Lobert Rev. William McDonald St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Priest Father Gabriel Richard St. Jude’s Episcopal Church Hillsdale, MI High School Fenton, MI Ann Arbor, MI Rev. Dr. JoAnn Kennedy Teresa McMillian-Gerrosh Slater Dan Lombardo St. Patrick’s Episcopal Rector St. Luke’s Episcopal Catholic Church Church Ludington, MI Madison Heights, MI Ypsilanti, MI Rev. Barry Ludwig Toni McNamara Martha Kern-Boprie Pastor Zion Lutheran Church Director of Christian Service, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Ann Arbor, MI St. Joseph Parish Ypsilanti, MI South Lyon, MI Leigh Magnuson Marilyn Kreger St. Andrew’s Episcopal Jim Mogensen Vestry, St. John's Episcopal Church St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Ann Arbor, MI Church Howell, MI Ann Arbor, MI Barbara Marshal Rev. Richard Kropf St. Patrick’s Episcopal Rev. Rey Mondragon Stella Maris Hermitage Church Pastor Ypsilanti First United Johannesburg, MI Madison Heights, MI Methodist Ypsilanti, MI Rev. Michael Kuchar Rev. James Maxwell Pastor Queen of the Pastor St. Stephen’s Tracy Moore Miraculous Medal Episcopal Church St. Andrew’s Episcopal Jackson, MI Troy, MI Church Waterford, MI Father John Linden Mardi Maxwell Priest St. Francis of Assisi St. Stephen’s Episcopal Margaret Nielsen Ann Arbor, MI Church Red Cedar Friends Meeting, Troy, MI Quaker East Lansing, MI

Rev. Irvin Nussdorfer Imam Achmat Salie Rev. Eric Stone Presbyterian Church (USA) Coordinator of Islamic Pastor First United Methodist Brighton, MI Studies, Oakland University, Ann Arbor, MI Rochester, MI Jill Pavka Rev. Dr. Ruth Strang St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Rev. Jonathan Sams Episcopal Priest Hillsdale, MI Rector St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Nancy Sudia Troy, MI St. Andrew’s Episcopal Rev. Roger Pohl Rev. Roland Schaedig Church Director of Ecumenical Retired Minister Evangelical Ann Arbor, MI Center and International Lutheran Church in America Residence Ypsilanti, MI Rev. Joe Summers Ann Arbor, MI Priest Episcopal Church of Edwina Simpson the Incarnation Rev. Daniel Reim Christ Episcopal Church, Ann Arbor, MI Society of Jesus Dearborn, MI Ann Arbor, MI Father Fred Thelen Robert F. Schramm, OSFS Priest, Cristo Rey Church Rev. Tom Reynolds Pastor, St. Mary of Good Lansing, MI Pastor Community of Christ Council Parish Congregation Adrian, MI Rev. Jack Trembath Grand Rapids, MI Priest St. Michael’s Susan Stahl Episcopal Church Mayor William Roberts Chair of Church and Society Grosse Pointe, MI St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Methodist Walled Lake, MI East Lansing, MI Redina Trembath

St. Michael’s Episcopal Karen Robinson Janis Stevenson Church Episcopal Diocese of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Grosse Pointe, MI Michigan, Executive Director Walled Lake of Whitaker School of Rev. Ian Twiss Theology Holy Faith Church Detroit, MI Saline, MI

Philosopher Mark Wenzel St. Clare’s Episcopal Church Ann Arbor, MI

Victor White Cathedral Church of St. Paul Detroit, MI

Rev. Chris Yaw Priest St. David’s Episcopal Church Southfield, MI